


Mirrored

by songofdefiance



Series: A Tale of Two Inquisitors [2]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: AU of an AU, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Gen, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 17:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17626154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/songofdefiance/pseuds/songofdefiance
Summary: Lady Seeker Trevelyan meets Knight Enchanter Pentaghast.





	Mirrored

**Author's Note:**

> A friend of mine gave me this prompt: “Wynn and Cassandra, role swap”; it was fun sussing out what these two would be like, if Cassandra was the mage and Wynn was the Seeker.

When Wynn is eleven, her sister is murdered in front of her.

She’s hiding under the bed, trying not to breathe.  Evie is on the floor, a dark red spike protruding from her chest, her eyes fixed on the ceiling above her.  The mages are still there, milling around the room, stealing what they can.  They speak amongst themselves at times, but to Wynn it’s like they’re speaking through a fog.  She can’t hear anything but her sister’s wet coughs as she died.

It isn’t long after that that the mages leave, but it’s not until hours later that Wynn dares to emerge from her hiding place.  Her breath comes in sharp, short little gasps as she crawls to Evie’s side, and sobs overtake her even as she wrenches the spike from her sister’s chest.

Their - her - parents don’t return until days later.  By that time the servants have alerted the local Templars, who have trudged around the house before telling Matron Deily that the mages were likely long gone.  Lord and Lady Trevelyan are stunned by the development, but they are quick to move on, and Wynn is designated the new heir of her house.

It should surprise no one, then, when Wynn runs away to join the Templars only a year later.

* * *

 

Cassandra is twelve when her brother is executed in front of her.

Hiding their magic has become second nature after so many years of it.  They both know how to refrain from using it to complete even the simplest tasks.  The earlier years of her childhood were full of days where Anthony would teach her to control it in secret, and she treasures those moments above all else.

Hiding from their uncle, making flames dance on her palms.  Learning how to create a small shield around herself.  They are all things that Anthony has had to learn to do on his own.  Cassandra is grateful that he has been able to teach her.

And then Vestalus catches them.

There’s a few days of quiet, during which Cassandra prays to the Maker that Vestalus will simply ignore what he saw.  That fragile fantasy shatters when the Templars come.

Cassandra begs, and she pleads, but Anthony is well past boyhood.  The Templars proclaim him a blood mage, inferring that he must be one, if he’s tried to stay hidden for so long.  His head hits the floor at Cassandra’s feet, and her screams echo through her uncle’s house.

The next few days are a blur, but she finds herself at the gates of the Ostwick Circle, while the Templars who have escorted her push her roughly through.  She stares at the Senior Enchanter without really seeing her, and the woman (who introduces herself as Lydia) sighs and says she’ll work Cassandra into the mage’s classes after her phylactery has been created.

That’s the day that something starts to burn in Cassandra’s chest, and it never goes out.

* * *

The mage - the woman who is Marked like she is - is the former Right Hand of the Divine.

Anyone who’s anyone would recognize her.  Wynn recognizes her because she sent Seekers to look into her background when Justinia named her.  Cassandra Pentaghast, born and raised in Nevarra, who rose to prominence after first becoming a Knight Enchanter, then saving the Divine’s life.  The only thing of note had been that Templars executed her brother for blood magic shortly before Cassandra was taken to the Ostwick Circle for training.

Wynn stays as far away from her as possible.  Which is difficult to do, seeing as how they’re both needed to close these rifts.  

For all of Cassandra’s piety and devotion to the Chantry, she appears equally wary of Wynn.  Wynn can’t help but smirk a bit at that, well aware of her own reputation.  

Even so - Cassandra is also direct, and efficient.  Wynn can appreciate that.  

* * *

Lady Seeker Trevelyan is terrifying.

Or it could be that Cassandra is projecting.  She’s been taught to be even warier of Seekers than of Templars; they lack the Templar’s dependence on lyrium, and their abilities are designed to combat both mage abilities and Templar abilities.  

While Cassandra was conducting investigations on Justinia’s behalf, she was also putting effort into securing reforms for mages.  All the while, Lady Seeker Trevelyan has become the youngest person to ever command the Seeker Order.  And from what Cassandra remembers, she’s made sure that the Seekers are more loyal to her than they are to the Chantry, or any other authority in Thedas.  

She can always feel it when Wynn’s eyes are on her.  She doesn’t know if it’s the Mark, or her own hyper-awareness.

She resolves not to run.  She will never run from anything again.

* * *

The Templars join the Inquisition, and Wynn knows it’s largely thanks to her influence among them.  She’s been the one coordinating many of their attacks against the remaining rebel mages in the Hinterlands.  They trust her.  She’s still incensed that Lucius had the gall to try and organize a coup against her.

Not that it’s surprising.  They’ve hated each other for years.

The Envy Demon’s attack rattled her, no matter how much she tries to tell herself otherwise.  What’s rattled her even more, however, is the way that it  _screamed_  when it saw Cassandra for the first time.  It wasn’t just a scream of rage, at seeing an enemy.

It had been afraid.

“Are you alright?”

Wynn barely moves her head, giving Cassandra a pointed glance.  “Define ‘alright’.  My answer may change, depending.”

“You could have just said ‘no’.”

Wynn snorts.

They are almost back at Haven, bringing the Templars along with them.  Leliana isn’t going to be happy with their decision, but then, it isn’t her decision.  As a matter of fact, Wynn thinks that the only person who will really be happy is Vivienne.  Vivienne, who is good friends with Cassandra, and who has a much more fraught relationship with Wynn.

“I may not agree with your decision to go to the Templars,” Cassandra says, “but at least this way, we can make sure that the Breach is closed.  That has always been the priority.  I am impressed by your initiative, and your resolve.”

Wynn actually smiles.  “Thank you.  But I don’t think this would’ve been possible without you, either.  I wasn’t expecting Envy Demons and red lyrium.”  Sometimes, she thinks she can still hear it singing in her head.

“Are you worried about the rest of the Seekers?” Cassandra asks.

And they come to the other topic that Wynn has been trying not to think about.  They only found a few of Wynn’s Seekers at Therinfal Redoubt, and she hasn’t heard from the rest in quite some time.  Among their number is Evert Adaar.  Practically her adoptive brother.  She can’t stop the sick feeling churning away in her stomach when she thinks of all the things that could’ve happened to him.  

If Lucius - the  _real_  Lucius - has him…

“No,” she says, and ignores the look of disappointment that flashes across Cassandra’s face.

* * *

The Breach is sealed.  So, of course, they’re attacked, soon after.

Cassandra and Wynn run this way and that on the battlefield, always together.  Cassandra has grown used to timing her attacks to match Wynn’s.  The Venatori are no match for the Lady Seeker, who seems larger than life on the battlefield.  Cassandra’s no slouch herself; she’s mastered a mix of fire and spiritual magic, as well as her unique abilities as a Knight Enchanter.  

But then Corypheus and his dragon attack, and Cassandra is forced to play her final card.

She lets Rage loose.

Even with its power, it merely buys them time, but it’s enough to set off the avalanche and run for cover.  

She saves Wynn’s life.  Wynn saves hers.  

They don’t speak for two weeks.

When they finally do, at the bottom of Crestwood’s caves, Wynn’s facade of detachment finally breaks, and she demands to know how and why, and why Cassandra felt that she couldn’t tell her about it.

“I was terrified!” Cassandra exclaims.  “I  _am_  terrified.  Of it, of losing control over it - I still don’t understand how it hasn’t taken over me, after all these years.  So, I did what I had to.  I distanced myself from my own anger.  I learned how to forget about it, which was almost impossible to do after my own brother was  _executed_  in front of me - “

Wynn falls silent after that, but quietly promises not to give Cassandra the cold shoulder again, the next time they speak.

* * *

Wynn doesn’t tell anyone about what Cassandra can do.  She could.  She probably even should, all things considered.  The mere thought makes her guilty, so she stays silent.  

This is her friend.  She cares about her.  She doesn’t think she can ever give that up.

* * *

Cassandra doesn’t know when she stopped being afraid of Wynn, but she’s very, very glad that she did.

**Author's Note:**

> So! I've made a new home on Tumblr - [songofdefiance](https://songofdefiance.tumblr.com). You're welcome to follow me there if you want. 
> 
> If you want to see more of Wynn and Cassandra, my inbox is always open to prompts about them. Or about anyone in this 'verse, really. Want to see the origin of Wynn and Evert's relationship? A soulmate AU? More about Wynn and Vivienne? Some actual romance between Wynn and Cassandra? Feel free to send it!


End file.
